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Spring Clean Your Workspace

Feb 10, 2016

Spring is in the air and you know what that means; spring cleaning. While you may be thinking about tackling your house, don't let the place you spend eight or more hours a day at fall by the wayside. Now’s the time to tackle all the dust and germs that have been accumulating throughout the year, or maybe since you started your job. If your workspace is really in need of a cleaning, you may not know just where to start. Take it one step at a time and use these tips to get you started.

Recycle, Shred, Store

Now's the time to tackle that ever growing stack of papers on your desk. Take some time to go through it and figure out what you really need to keep paper copies of. Ask yourself if it's something you have access to on the computer or if it's even of use to you anymore. Then divide things into three piles: recycle, shred, and store (now might also be an ideal time to come up with a good way to organize all your papers).

Disinfect Everything

After making it through cold and flu season, your desk could use a good cleaning in the germs aspect. Plus you'll get that dust that's been accumulating since you started your job. If you're feeling really ambitious, tackle that keyboard.

You'll be amazed how much gross stuff gets stuck in there. Pro tip: fold a post-it in half to get all the dust stuck between the keys.

Tackle Your Computer

Go through all those old emails and desktop shortcuts that have piled up and figure out what you really need. Another great idea is to create folders in your email. That way it'll be easier to find exactly what you're looking for.

Organize Your Area

Tackle those common areas with a couple of your coworkers, like that odd smell coming from the fridge. Take it upon yourself to lead a total clean and organization of it. That back room you and your coworkers keep shoving things you don't know what to do with? Grab a few coworkers and organize it so you'll know where the things you might need are when you need them.

Make It a Habit

Putting off cleaning your workspace all year can really make the mess pile up and make it a more daunting task than it has to be. To prevent this from happening next year, make cleaning your area regularly a habit. It can be by doing things as simple as putting your pens and papers away at the end of the work day, to scheduling 20 or 30 minutes once a month to disinfect things and go through all those old emails. If you’re worried about forgetting, you can always set up an alert to remind you or block the specific time off in your calendar.

Cleaning your workspace can not only help in preventing sickness, but can also boost your productivity and reduce stress. What’s your go to spring cleaning tip for the office?